With development of an image technology, a 3 dimensional (3D) image for providing an image having a sense of reality to a user is drawing attention. For example, an image provide apparatus may obtain a 3D image using a stereo vision technology.
In case of using the stereo vision technology, the image provide apparatus synthesizes two images obtained using two camera modules to obtain a stereo image via which the user may feel a 3D effect.
Generally, a compression technology for a stereo image uses a simulcast method, a compatible method, and a joint method.
In case of using the simulcast method, an image provide apparatus separates a first image and a second image used for configuring a stereo image and encodes the same.
In case of using the compatible method, the image provide apparatus encodes a first image used for configuring a stereo image using a 2D image compression technology. After that, the image provide apparatus encodes a second image used for configuring the stereo image using only a correlation relation with respect to the first image.
In case of using the joint method, the image provide apparatus encodes a first image used for configuring a stereo image using a 2D image compression technology. After that, the image provide apparatus encodes a second image using the first image depending on an image characteristic of the second image used for configuring the stereo image, or encodes the second image using a 2D image compression technology separately from the first image.
As described above, in case of compressing a stereo image using a 2D image compression technology, complexity for compressing the stereo image at the image provide apparatus increases much.